My dissertation argues that Chinese scholars of the 1920s and '30s (re)interpreted the traditions of Chinese art in order to build a modern field of Chinese art history. These scholars faced with... Show moreMy dissertation argues that Chinese scholars of the 1920s and '30s (re)interpreted the traditions of Chinese art in order to build a modern field of Chinese art history. These scholars faced with challenges such as China's internal needs to develop, her indirect and direct encounters with Western art and Western ideas, and the influence of modern Japanese scholarship to write art history for a modern nation. This dissertation deals with published art historical texts and a few practices relating to art exhibitions in early twentieth century China. It focuses on a list of writers who have not been well-studied in English or any other European language before. It fills the gap to understand Chinese art and Chinese art circles of the early twentieth century. And it helps to draw attention to the turning point of Chinese art in the history. Show less
The Rhetoric of Two Museums and the Representation and Canonization of Modern Art (1935-1975): The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum of Modern Art in New York Museums of modern art have... Show moreThe Rhetoric of Two Museums and the Representation and Canonization of Modern Art (1935-1975): The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum of Modern Art in New York Museums of modern art have determined the course of modern art history. Their contributions to the representation and canonization of modern art have been shaped by how they have presented art in their (temporary) exhibitions and publications. They have provided the public with a verbal and visual story of modern art. In order to provide greater insight into the process of the creation of the museums__ stories, this book uses __rhetoric__ to deconstruct their stories of modern art. Rhetoric is used as an analytical model to investigate the communications of modern art museums. Their goals are to communicate their stories and to persuade their various audiences of the importance of modern art. The principal strategies of classical rhetoric ethos, pathos and logos are used as the main entries for this book. Two influential museums are compared: the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam). The differences in their goals, financing, audiences and positions in their societies, have determined their different persuasive strategies. By analyzing these museums as orators and deconstructing their verbal and visual rhetoric, the process of representation and canonization is clarified. Show less
